The Georgetown advisory neighborhood commission recently rejected Apple’s third proposal for an Apple Store in D.C. The problem is rooted in the commissions belief that an Apple Store wouldn’t fit in with the general decor of the area. The Washington City Paper reports:

Earlier this month, both bodies rejected Apple’s design—the third the company had submitted for the property at 1229 Wisconsin Ave. NW, a Georgetown storefront the company has owned for more than a year—because, as the Current’s Carol Buckley puts it, it “would not fit into Georgetown…

The Old Georgetown Board, charged with preserving historic preservation standards, “felt that the design turned the building into a billboard,” according to a spokesperson.

Despite the economic crisis, information from tipsters and other sources indicate no slowdown in Apple store grand openings for the first half of 2009. According to an IFO analysis, at least 11 stores could open between January and June, indicating that 36 stores might open for the entire year, a figure in line with 2005-2007 activity.